Forensics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Delving into the Criminal Mind

IN THIS CHAPTER

Looking into forensic psychiatry

Reviewing tests used for psychiatric assessment

Digging into deception

Determining competence and sanity

Understanding serial offenders

Unlike hair, shoeprints, or weapons, the motivations of criminals aren’t visible, and they can’t be studied under a microscope or analyzed in a chemistry lab. That makes psychiatry a different animal completely. Nonetheless, it’s an ever-growing field that not only helps investigators sort fact from fiction but guides investigations by providing often astoundingly accurate descriptions of who the perpetrator is likely to be.

Investigators use physical and biological evidence to determine the who, what, and how. Forensic psychiatrists help flesh out the why. And the why is often the most valuable piece of information for solving the crime, because few, if any, crimes are committed without a motive, a why.

Defining the Role of the Forensic Psychiatric Professional ...